Uzumaki II: The Uncertain Peace
by gottahavekyuubi
Summary: The Shinobi Alliance continues to lick their wounds, almost an entire year after the ceasefire of the Great War. With new leaders, new technology and an official capital, there's nothing that could stop them; other than three raging Uchiha, a human-snake hybrid and a woman hidden behind a strange mask of course. NarutoxKarin and NarutoxShizuka (READ UZUMAKI I FIRST)
1. The Uncertain Peace

**Sup. This is the first chapter of Uzumaki II: Uncertain Peace! **

** Now just a heads up:**

**DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU HAVE NOT READ UZUMAKI I: SETTING THE STAGE! DO NOT READ UNTIL YOU HAVE READ UZUMAKI I: SETTING THE STAGE!**

**Thank you.**

**This Series is still NARUTO and KARIN. THIS SERIES IS STILL NARUKARIN NARUTOxKARIN, it's just the fact that Naruto has a different baby mama don't change a thing. Sure Shizuka will be a problem to the NarutoxKarin deal, but that problem will be rectified sooner or later.**

**:3**

**Disclaimer: I actually don't own Naruto**

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**Chapter 1: The Uncertain Peace**

"S-Shizuka…" Naruto whimpered. "I'll protect you no matter what…"

Naruto and Shizuka were left alone in the hospital room with their little baby lying in the black-haired beauty's arms. Her soft cooing was like a soft song in Naruto's ears. His rough and battle hardened hands crept up and slowly caressed the cheek of his baby girl, feeling his breath hitch when the little girl had whisker marks like he did. He moved the shawl from the baby's face revealing a face like her mothers, but hair and the whisker marks like her father.

Naruto felt his eyes water and glaze as tears built up in his eyes. Shizuka was still bruised and scarred from escaping Nadeshiko, and she had not only had to hide from Sasuke's apparent army, but also run across three countries with a small newborn baby on her back for nearly a month. Naruto was gasping softly as the events started to catch up with him. One by one, little by little, he came to realize that life wasn't fair at all. When his sapphire blue eyes would look at the sleeping baby in Shizuka's arms, he felt his heart writhe.

The little baby was just so innocent. The little girl didn't deserve any of the pain that was dealt upon her in such a short amount of time. Shizuka didn't deserve the pain that was thrust upon her. All of her traditions and all of her people, family and friends were exterminated, or worse, enslaved by Sasuke and his army of five hundred. Naruto wasn't about to let him spread his sickening, slithering and slimy grasp to spread any farther than Nadeshiko.

He would be damned if Sasuke had his way with Shizuka again. He would be damned if anything were to happen to the newly formed Alliance. He would be damned if Sasuke dared to show his face again. Naruto clenched his fists as the memories of the promise in the Land of Iron, more than a year ago; the promise to die with him in their final battle; the promise of a lifetime. But seeing that Shizuka and his daughter were here…there was no way that he'd die for the Uchiha.

There was no way that he'd die for the ungrateful shit-stain that a man he professed to call a brother had become. There was no way that he'd abandon his family. Naruto looked up from the little baby and out the clear window having a great view of the village around them. The sun was rising higher and high as Noon was closing in. The clouds were covered in a beautiful lighting with their underbellies covered in light grey shadowing. Below, the village was vibrant once more with the sun's noontime rays illuminating the village, bringing its colors out with a more vivid contrast.

The boy slid off the side of the bed and walked over towards the window sill and continued to stare, his once bright sapphire blue eyes were now dull, almost as if they were in pain. His hand raised high above him gripping onto the curtain holder, as a way for him to ease his seemingly ever-increasing stress. Not only was something big happening today, but this had to happen.

_Why her?! Why me?! Why any of us?!_ Naruto roared in his mind. _Why must things be the way they are?! Why can't I fix the world?! Why is it so hard to do?_

"N-Naruto-kun…" Shizuka asked softly. "Are you ok?"

Naruto sniffled as the tears finally fell from his half-lidded eyes. The stress and the effects of getting the news that he was a father were too much for him apparently. Naruto was breathing harder as his chest rose tightly only to fall back with a rougher disposition. Naruto hobbled over to the girl as she outstretched her arms to hold him as he wept. Once he was positioned comfortably, she softly ran one of her hands through his blond locks like she did the night they first made love.

He rested his head into her buxom chest as the tears continued to fall down his battle-hardened face; the tears trickling down, dipping into his whisker marks and simply falling off onto Shizuka's breasts. The girl sighed softly and watched the birds float on by from the window. Suddenly, Naruto wrapped his arms around her waist and held her, almost as if he was afraid she was going to disappear. The little baby was even in his grasp, and to see the little girl conform nicely, almost perfectly to her father, made Shizuka lightheaded with glee.

"W-What's her name?" Naruto asked softly; eyes slowly trailing upwards to meet with Shizuka's.

"Kohaku."

"T-That's a beautiful name." Naruto laughed softly while caressing the cheek of his baby girl. "She has my hair."

"But she has my eyes." Shizuka smirked.

"Really?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"You'll have to wait until she wakes up…" Shizuka laughed. "Kohaku hasn't really cried or made much noise since we ran from Nadeshiko and landed in Hi no Kuni."

"Why not?" Naruto asked. "Normally a baby would make ridiculous amounts of noise."

"I don't know." Shizuka sighed.

"Oh…" Naruto grunted. "If only I were there…I could have prevented this all…"

"Don't be a baka." Shizuka shook her head. "There was nothing you could do. There was no way in this world that you could have sensed that Uchiha Sasuke was going to invade Nadeshiko and rape me…there was no way that you could have known that he impregnated me as you have. There's no way that you could have known that I was going to give birth to your child…"

Naruto was silent and rested his head on her arm. His body was still cold from the information. While he was told before the rest of the Konoha shinobi left the hospital room, he still couldn't believe that Sasuke would do something like that. Maybe the Uchiha was doing that because Karin was no longer there to comfort him. To have that thought pissed the Uzumaki further and had him gripping the railing of the bed with a darkening look on his face.

He had half a mind to kill the growing baby inside of Shizuka. He wanted to rid the world of the Uchiha's seed and be rid of the stain that the Uchiha name had become. So many emotions were raging within his stressed mind and Naruto was even contemplating to have a medic ninja like Tsunade go in and kill the zygote with chakra…but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. There was a feeling in the back of his mind that told him to keep the child. Keep the child and raise it as his own and train it in the ways of peace. That voice told him that he could change the entire course of History by deciding whether or not to kill the unborn baby just starting to grow inside of the black-haired beauty.

That thought only grew stronger as the pros began to outweigh the cons and it almost seemed better than killing it. Naruto's ragged breathing soothed as he came to the conclusion to raise the baby. He wasn't about to have the Uchiha name be remembered as a dark blotch on Shinobi history. While Naruto hated what the name was associated with; he had no choice but to respect the power the Uchiha had thanks to his studying and political coaching he had receive since the ceasefire of the war. He had to admit; while Sasuke was strong and powerful in his own right, the scion of the Uchiha clan was like child's play compared to some of the ancient Uchiha, and most of those Uchiha didn't even know that the sharingan could even evolve into the Mangekyō.

If he could raise them differently and instead of being in fear of a Senju-esque ruling system, Naruto felt that he could break the curse of Hatred in an entirely different way. Hopeful in his endeavor, he looked to Shizuka and explained his stance on the situation. The girl nodded her head with a small smile on her face as the details of what he was intending to do left his mouth. Shizuka looked down to the bed sheets wrapped around her legs.

The two of them were silent for a while knowing that life was only going to get complicated from this point. Her emerald eyes trailed up to stare at Naruto's sapphire eyes. Her cheeks heat up as she watched the glimmer in the corner of his deep orbs. She felt a slight pull towards him as her face leaned in for a moment. She couldn't help it; he just looked so innocent and adorable. A small smile formed on her face as their noses touched, but only grew as Naruto started smiling as well, only making things better. But there was a soft whimper as Kohaku finally awoke.

The two backed away to let their baby girl have her space to stretch as most babies would. Kohaku looked at her father and back to her mother with no noise or even any indication that she even knew who she was looking at. Kohaku suddenly sputtered and began to laugh and even clapped her hands together when her green eyes landed with Naruto's cerulean eyes. Naruto leaned in to get a better look at the girl, only to have his bangs pulled and grasped tightly by the little baby. Kohaku sure had a better grip than what Naruto first thought.

The baby continued to laugh and even started spattering her saliva and spit in all directions with reckless-abandon. But for a moment, all sounds stopped and Naruto looked around at his surroundings. There was no masked shinobi trying to rip Kurama from his gut, and there was no giant monster trying to destroy his village. There was no death or cries of pain; there was peace. For a moment, he made a hypothetical thought; this was the birth that he could've had; a peaceful one. One with parents to hold him in their arms without coughing out pints of blood.

A stray tear escaped Naruto's eye as the realization finally hit. This is _his_ child; his is _HIS_ family. While they were a bit young to be having children, Naruto didn't care, this girl was his and he was hers. The boy finally zapped back into the real world only to realize that he was standing with little baby Kohaku clinging tightly to the blond locks of his head, nearly ripping some of the strands from his poor scalp. Naruto nearly freaked out and caused Kohaku to nearly lose her grip. The boy reached up as soon as possible, defusing a difficult situation before it got worse.

Kohaku though didn't cry or whine when Naruto forced her to release his hair from her grasp. Instead, she was completely silent and even tried to wrap her arms around her father's neck. Little did Naruto know there was a girl standing at the doorway with a tray of food and a sad look on her face. Kohaku was entranced by her features despite not knowing who she was looking at. But for some reason she was in love with the color that came out in multitudes on this girl. Red.

The woman had red eyes with black metal rimmed glasses on her face and had a head of long red hair; one side wild and the other straight as could be. The woman waited for a moment mesmerized by the little child, seeing her awake for the first time and nearly felt her heart melt. The child looked just adorable with large green eyes and a tuft of golden hair like her father, but it was the whisker marks that made the baby stand out as Naruto's child. The little baby even had a jawline that looked a lot like what would be like Naruto's when she grows up. Karin didn't want to interrupt the family-time, but she had a job and she was gonna do it.

"Excuse me." Karin coughed softly while kicking the doorframe of the hospital room. "Food for a Miss Shizuka?"

"Oh, thank you!" Shizuka smiled as Karin walked over towards the bed and slowly placed the tray onto Shizuka's lap.

Naruto was cold though. His body was starting to push sweat from his pores, half-expecting the food to be poisoned or Karin had slipped a toxin into Shizuka's tea. Karin was known for getting extremely territorial, beating up women ranging from jounin to ANBU to show that Naruto was hers, and the blond couldn't help but worry for Shizuka's well-being. There was something different about the redhead's way of holding herself. Karin was smiling sincerely almost as if she wasn't even mad in the slightest. Karin never was the most understanding of others.

Karin walked from the hospital room with a smile on her face and even waved at Kohaku from the open door frame before disappearing into the hall delivering food to the rest of the patients checked into the hospital. Naruto knew that it wasn't all that it seemed to be, but he had to let it go for the sake of Shizuka; for now at least. He was going to explain everything to her and the rest of the Konoha Ten about everything that has happened and explain in depth as to why he and Shizuka were even together. The boy sighed and looked down to see Kohaku staring at him with wide eyes with her thumb in her mouth.

For a two-month, going on three-month old baby, Kohaku seemed to have a basic grasp on the world around her with a better understanding than most seem to have. To Naruto, it meant that Kohaku wouldn't struggle as much as he did growing up. That meant that Kohaku would have the childhood he always wanted. Naruto smiled and rested his forehead against Kohaku's and locked his sapphire eyes with her emerald. The little baby didn't make a sound, nor did she even make any sudden movements. The little baby simply kept her star on the man in front of her.

Naruto smiled some more knowing that he was going to raise her to be the way his own parents were intending to raise him. He was going to teach her that hard work meant everything. He wasn't going to care if she couldn't do good in school, nor if she wasn't entirely good at shurikenjutsu, or hell, ninjutsu; he was still going to be proud of her as long as she worked and practiced every step of the way. He was going to be there for his daughter and wife. He was going to be there every step of the way. There was no way in hell that he was going to leave them, or worse; die.

With this new position that he was working to get, Naruto knew that things were only going to get worse with each passing month, week; hell; day. It was an uncertain peace after all, and anything could happen at any moment, causing the Fourth Great Shinobi World War once again, causing the deaths of countless shinobi and kunoichi. That was a result that he wasn't about to accept. He was intending to keep the peace at whatever cost. He was not about to let there be any more wars so his daughter could be raised in peace, without the fear of getting killed on a mission.

He rose up and kissed the baby's forehead and watched with a soft smile as Kohaku drifted to sleep, nearly falling backwards into the bed with a sigh escaping the baby's lips. Naruto was surprised. The baby was acting like a damned toddler, almost as if his daughter was some sort of super-genius. That was something that Naruto wasn't expecting to come out of his seed. He pulled up a stool and continued to smile knowing that even though he had a ceremony coming in a few hours, he wasn't really worried about the speech he had. It was a simply introduction to he is, then explaining his new rank and his plan for the Alliance. Besides, everything was on notecards that were perfectly stacked in numerical order to help against confusion.

To be promoted to his position and embarrass himself while giving an inspirational speech was actually something that people were betting on happening, whether he says something dumb or he says something out of line, or he just forgets what he was going to say. He thought back to what else people were betting on; actually looking like he has common sense (very few thought that), he was going to piss his pants along the way; he was going to piss his pants on stage, or the funniest; he was going to pass out on stage. Naruto knew that his friends, no matter how close, had literally no faith in him or his self-proclaimed courage. The boy sighed as the thoughts started grating on his nerves. This wasn't going to be a good start to the new job.

The boy looked up to Shizuka examining the girl's appearance. She wasn't uncomfortable, but rather, pleased. She looked like she had been through a lot, making Naruto feel better with each passing second that the mother of his child and his darn child were perfectly fine after the entire debacle of their home. Naruto frowned for a moment and thought to himself a very important thought. It was almost bothering him.

"Shizuka-chan…" Naruto said suddenly. "I have to ask you something really important."

"What is it Naruto-kun?" Shizuka asked while slurping down some ramen noodles.

"I…uhm…" Naruto sighed. "Were you ever going to come visit me and even tell me about Kohaku?"

Shizuka turned silent. Her silence was all that Naruto needed. The boy simply nodded his head, but still smiled at the girl and rubbed his index finger against Kohaku's whiskered cheek and continued to keep his gaze on his lover. Shizuka knew that it was a bad idea not to say anything, but she knew that he wouldn't understand where she was coming from. Naruto didn't come from a matriarchal village and that being from a matriarchal village, there were certain rules that had to be followed. Shizuka was originally going to raise Kohaku as a kunoichi of Nadeshiko with no knowledge of her biological father. That is of course, until Sasuke appeared with an army of almost three hundred at his back, and the rest is history.

The girl leaned her head against the headboard behind her and shut her tired green eyes. She has been running for the last two months, especially since Kohaku was a premature birth. Sasuke attacked around the time when Kohaku was born, only to find that she was seriously malnourished and she was extremely small and fragile. Shizuka felt her heart tighten as the memories of the nurses and medical ninja saying that Kohaku wouldn't live long. Shizuka remembered Sasuke's army with their banners bearing the Uchiha Clan crest of a white and red fan. But then she remembered Sasuke breaking into her chambers and forcing himself onto her. The girl froze in fear for a moment and didn't dare open her eyes, for fear of seeing those three cursed tomoe again.

But little did she know, she was shaking and freaking her lover out. Naruto shot up and placed his hands on her shoulders, waking her from her fear-induced trance. Shizuka looked down to see Kohaku staring at the two of them, just before she too closed her eyes and quickly fell into a deep sleep. Shizuka was breathing hard as the memories slowly faded, only to be replaced with the face of the man who always saved and protected her, and also the face of the man who took her virginity after on night of conversation.

Shizuka watched Naruto with blank eyes as his worried orbs scanned her body all over, making sure that there was nothing wrong with the precious woman. Shizuka looked up to him and gave him a quick smile just before sliding down into her hospital bed and digging the back of her head into the hospital pillows. Shizuka was suddenly comfortable again as she held Kohaku in her arms and flashed her worried lover a smile. Shizuka smiled at the blond and even pointed towards the door with a sassy look on her face.

_I can actually look forward to a life like this…_

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**So I know that this chapter is probably weak for opening chapter standards, but Oh well. Sue me. It's just building up the Naruto and Shizuka love xD **

**Ja ne!**

**gottahavekyuubi**


	2. The Setting Sun

**Sorry for such a late update! There are a few things that got in my way. Most importantly of those reasons, I'm not in America at the moment. I'm in the home country of my people; the Philippines! xD And because the Philippines is a third world country; I spent most of the start of summer (since the sixth) without internet...and my computer kept crashing and that added on to the fact that every time it would crash, it would always be while I'm writing this chapter. Not only that, but the save files would always corrupt and I'd have to restart the damned chapter. Whatever, it's 12:22 right now in Manila, Philippines, and I'm fucking sleepy lol**

**Enjoy**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

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**Chapter 2: The Setting Sun**

Naruto walked from the hospital unsure of himself. He had basically brought the Alliance a victory, but the war wasn't over. He knew it wasn't over, even though it sure felt that way. It was too straight forward in his mind and even though his mother was ignoring him and staying as quiet as possible, Naruto had a feeling that she felt the same as well. Kurama was stirring within signifying his agreement. With Shizuka and Kohaku in the picture, Naruto wasn't sure if he could go through with the ceremony. He wasn't sure if he could take on such a title. One esteemed as being the leader of the Alliance. As close to peace as that would get him, he knew that it would take more than just that.

But the boy had a small problem with the whole promotion deal. Why of all the shinobi, was he the one chose to lead the Alliance? Naruto grunted to himself as the many thoughts went swirling through his young seventeen year old mind. Why wasn't he chosen to become the Fifth Hokage after defeating Gaara? Why wasn't he chosen to be the Rokudaime Hokage after defeating Pein? Why now, was he chosen to be the leader? Why now was he chosen?

The boy stopped in his steps. What is so different about this time than the last times? But it suddenly hit him, and the revelation brought forth the same amount of pain as a thousand blades going through his heart. _It's because Konoha isn't the only one choosing who to lead. The other villages were able to see my strength and my worth, but throughout all of my trials and tribulations, Konoha still couldn't see my worth. You know what…I'm glad I'm getting this promotion. I bet if this wasn't an Alliance and I defeated everyone single handedly…I'd still be held back! I bet I'd still be a goddamn genin!_

Naruto slapped himself. Those weren't thoughts he was intending to have. Those weren't thoughts that were to become of the future leader of everything from Kumo to Suna; from Kiri to Iwa. He didn't even realize that his heart was racing. He looked around sensing everyone's chakra signature for some strange reason, but quickly realized that he was in sage mode. He took a deep breath in a failed attempt to calm down. People were walking by giving him weird looks but none were being noticed by the anxious blond. He surmised that it was the stress of finding out that he was a father all of a sudden. So many things happening so fast in such a short amount of time made the boy feel like his blond locks were already turning grey.

He looked around finally realizing the looks he was being given by the people passing him by. While they had looks of confusion, Naruto could still see their admiration. But he still couldn't tell if they were genuine. After all, he was hated by a great deal of them and ostracized. While he could sense negativity, he wasn't sure, especially after his micro-epiphany. This wasn't going to be a good place to be in if he wanted to keep his sanity clean. He took off into the air and jumped on the rooftops charging as fast as he could towards his apartment/condo to change into something good looking for the ceremony.

He landed with his sandaled feet skidding against the rooftop, and coming to a complete halt. He ran a hand through his blond hair and fixed his hitai-ate and walked towards the rooftop doorway expecting no one to be in his room at this time of the day, completely forgetting about one detail. He dropped into his bedroom and ran back and forth, looking for a nice colored haori and his jounin vest, just after finding out that he actually wasn't wearing it. He ran around overturning everything and only finding it after there was a click of a tongue.

"You seem to be looking for something." The girl sighed. "You know, you're going to need all the help you can get, Naruto-kun."

"K-Karin…" Naruto backed away slightly. "W-What are you doing here?"

"I live here Naruto-baka." Karin shook her head with a disappointed smirk on her face. "Already forgot about me have you?"

"N-No K-Karin! It's n-not like that!" Naruto tried to explain.

"So you don't love Shizuka or your child?" Karin asked with a slight tick in her eyebrow.

"W-WHAT?!" Naruto screamed. Sweat poured out of his body and drenched his new clothing. "NO! NOT WHAT I MEANT!"

"Good." Karin replied before tossing him his jounin vest. "I won't need to castrate you just yet."

Naruto caught his vest and wrapped it around his torso in a swift movement, leaving little room for error. Karin walked over to the blond boy and got a bit close, almost too close for comfort; that deathly look on her face wasn't helping the image at all. Naruto took a deep breath and let the girl walk past him without the slightest noise leaving his lips or even the slightest exhale. He was too terrified to even breathe. Karin continued to walk and grabbed something off the shelf behind the blond and walked back towards the door. Naruto still didn't say a word, expecting Karin to break the ice completely. But just like him, she didn't dare to peep a word, not even a stay syllable.

As Karin shut the door, the girl took a quick glance at the boy she loved. He stood there, pressed against the wall, nailed with his own fear. And just like that; the door closed and shut away the image of the blond she had come to fall in love with. This was probably a battle she wasn't going to win any time soon. The girl sighed softly and headed down the hall and into their kitchen and poured herself a cup of warm tea, knowing full well that she needs it. Her muscles were sore and her heart was still pounding from the revelation of Naruto having a child. She leaned her head down, pressing her forehead against the counter, another sigh escaping her lips.

Naruto was hers for the longest time, and to be frank, the only other girl who had him in their palms was Ino, but she was dead. Ino was his first for everything, kiss, date, virginity. The list could go on and on in Karin's mind, and truth be told, she wasn't wrong. The redhead lifted her eyes and stared at the different pictures lining the walls of her and Naruto having fun in all the areas of Konoha, ranging from walks in the park, the lake nearby, the waterfall nearby, the various restaurants; the memories were there for Karin to see in broad daylight, almost like a taunting child. She wanted to reach for them but she knew that she couldn't. So much change in so little time; it was beyond belief.

She raised the tea cup to her mouth and sipped softly, allowing the warmth wash down her tired body. She was stressed beyond belief and it was something that she was looking forward to fixing soon. After ten months of being with Naruto, the girl knew that it wasn't going to be easy getting over the blond idiot. She knew that it would be practically impossible for her to get over him. He was after all, the first one to love her unconditionally; at least someone who made it memorable. Time spent with Naruto was like a surreal dream to the girl, almost too perfect.

Sure they had their fights and their fights usually expanded into insults and someone getting their feelings hurt, but they always bounced back and came back stronger and stronger. They always had a way of being closer even after their faults and mistakes were known. They knew how to love each other. But now, all of that has changed because of Shizuka and Kohaku. Karin wanted to hate the two, but she just couldn't bring herself to. Shizuka was raped by the Uchiha and Kohaku was a baby born by accident. Karin could only see it as the black-haired beauty getting the bad luck of the draw. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time and it only made Karin feel sorry for the girl.

But if there was anyone that Karin really felt sorry for was Naruto. The boy has so much going for him, only for a child to come into the picture. After everything that has happened, Karin wondered if he would go through with the ceremony. Taking care of a family and ruling five nations seems a bit challenging, especially with the fact that Naruto had never really taken care of either; it was enough to have the redhead worrying. Even with his political and economic coaching over the last ten months, Karin knew for sure that no one had given him a heads up on how to even raise a family. He didn't have parents to tell him how it was done, but who was she to judge; she didn't either.

With a begrudging sigh, Karin finished her tea and stood from the stool leaning against their countertop. But just as she placed her cup in the sink, Naruto dashed from their bedroom, decked in the haori Ino had given him with the standard jounin pants and undershirt. Over that, he wore his orange jounin vest and had a green lace on his left arm. Looking like a spitting image of his father almost had Karin spitting out the saliva in her mouth. She was surprised that he could look so regal. Karin smiled softly realizing that this was what he was born for.

The boy gave Karin an uncertain smile just before taking off through one of the windows, leaving Karin to her own devices. He landed on a nearby rooftop and took off with the wind kicking off behind him; wisps of dust flowing in his wake. To most, he looked like a red and yellow blur, rushing through the rooftops of the village, making his way to the new village center. He zoomed over towers and jutting outcroppings. He rushed in between chimneys and smokestacks. He was a speeding god. For a good show to the people below, he channeled Kurama's chakra, covering him in a beautiful golden glow, with flames flickering off of his body.

People gasped at what they saw. He front-flipped off of the rooftop he was on and slammed his feet into the dirt road below and looked around at the people gawking at him with looks of surprise. He stifled a laugh before disappearing with a golden after-image in his wake. The people were clamoring about, screaming their praise and good-wishes to the blond boy. While they didn't know where he was heading, they knew that he would need their hopes and prayers. Naruto continued to run through the streets knowing that he had somewhere quite important to be before the ceremony.

_Baa-chan won't be pleased to know that I'm late._ Naruto groaned. _I gotta get ready for the ceremony now. Kaa-chan still won't talk to me; Karin…I think she's mad; the rest of my friends seemed disappointed in me. What the hell am I doing with my life? Wherever this life is taking, I don't think I'll know what to do. Is peace truly on its way? Will my promotion bring out the peace I've been seeking? And what the fuck will I do about the Akatsuki? Sure I beat them in battle, everywhere, but they probably have an entire army hidden somewhere._

_This war isn't over, but just at a bloody stalemate. I'm so confused._ The boy sighed as he entered the Hokage Compound. _I don't know what to do. What if I fail in leading the nations and a civil war breaks, and the nations are…stop it. I've been talking with Omoi too much. I need a serious outlet for my problems. Maybe I'll do so damn good, the nations will unite under one banner. That'll be a good sight to see. But what would the flag be? _

Naruto looked around trying to find some inspiration; cats, dogs, trees and buildings everywhere. Naruto shook his head with a smile spread on his face. He wasn't surprised that he'd find inspiration that quick. What in the world would be so damn inspiring that it would constitute being on a flag? Naruto walked through the compound with his hands held behind his back and headed into the imposing Hokage tower and up the steps towards the Hokage office. Tsunade was waiting there with his kimono and hakama, ready to slap onto him.

He wasn't looking forward to that though. Looking regal and all of that mess, seemed to be for someone that wasn't him. In his eyes, he felt that if he was going to be dressing like some king or emperor, he wouldn't be able to go out and fight on the battlefields like a true shinobi, or just a simple warrior. To him, what was the point of looking like someone he wasn't when he could look like someone that everyone new and could relate to. Why must he look like a noble when everyone in the whole damn shinobi world knows for sure, that he isn't.

"It's a thing called a courtesy Baka." Tsunade's voice rang in his ears. "Now come, we only have an hour left before the ceremony."

"But Baa-chan!" Naruto whined. "Do I really have to dress all fancy?"

"After all of the coaching and teachings we've forced into that hard head of yours…" Tsunade sighed. "You still manage to be a pain in the ass."

"It's because I love you." Naruto laughed. "But fine…slap on the monkey suit."

"Now here! What do you think?!" Tsunade asked a few minutes later, wiping beads of sweat from her brow.

Naruto stood in front of the mirror with a blank look on his face. His kimono looked lopsided and his sash didn't even seem to wrap completely around him. The boy raised his arms and looked down in confusion as one sleeve was longer than the other and the other seemed to be almost non-existent. This was bothered him. But then it hit him; Tsunade was terrible with things like this. It almost made him feel bad about wanting to say something about how it looks terrible. He wanted to say something but he deigned. He kept his thoughts to himself and gave Tsunade a shaky thumb up.

"Don't lie Naruto." Tsunade looked down dejectedly. "Take that crap off and slip into something else. At least I tried right?"

"No need to look so down Baa-chan…what's gotten into you lately?" Naruto asked with a smile.

"Nothing…" Tsunade replied. "It's just that you've grown into a man so fast and so well…except for the issue of your goddamn stupidity."

"I was wondering when you were going to say something about Shizuka." The boy said.

"What makes you think that I was ever even intending to say anything about it?" The woman asked.

"Since my own Mother isn't saying anything to me…I was thinking that you would…seeing as you've practically been my mother for years." Naruto replied.

Tsunade froze with the spit stuck in her mouth. She didn't say a word and kept her mouth shut. She watched the boy walk away with a defeated look on his face. She could see the dark bags beneath his eyes. So much stress in so little time. To believe that Naruto might have met his match in stress-levels was something that almost had the old hag laughing. The blond walked over to his clothing from before and slipped his arms and legs through the sleeves of his pants and jacket. He was ready for the ceremony, but he still felt that he wasn't ready for the promotion.

_I could always turn it down, but what would that do to the morale of the Alliance?_ Naruto asked himself. _I need to take this job, especially if the people called for it; __**especially **__if the people called for it. By the grace of Kami…I don't even want to imagine the backlash that would happen should I turn down the promotion. Just imagine the shit storm that could possibly happen. The other nations could take it as me being disrespectful and think that Konoha shinobi thought that they were better than other shinobi from other nations! No, no, no. I need to stop hanging around Omoi. Thinking like that will be the death of me._

The boy looked to the woman; he so affectionately calls Baa-chan on a daily basis and gave her a small smile. She of course returned but the woman felt a few tears build in her hazelnut colored eyes. Tsunade was proud of how well he had grown and how strong he had become. To see his dream come true and then some, only seemed to make her heart swell with pride for the boy she started to see as both a brother, or in some cases, her son. To see him so grown and tall, simply made her excited for what he was going to turn into in the next few years.

The boy gave the Hokage a quick and tight hug, pressing his muscled chest against the massive breasts of the woman. Tsunade growled and pushed Naruto away seeing that the boy was giggling up a storm, reminding her that maybe letting Jiraiya teach the boy his ways was a bad idea. Naruto shook his head and walked away towards the next person patiently waiting in line to get a good hug. Shizune smirked as Naruto came up to her with his foxy smile beaming left and right. The woman reached forward and was embraced tightly by the blond haired shinobi.

The boy held her tightly as Shizune groaned in relief as the boy tightened his hug, pressing his chest deeper against her own. Naruto laughed and started picking the girl up into the air and spinning her around while still holding her against his body. Shizune laughed along with him, filling the office with light and life. The boy dropped the woman as she placed a soft kiss on his cheek. Just as his arms fell to his sides, there was a soft tug at the hem of his haori. It was Tonton of course! The little pig awaited its third master to acknowledge him.

Naruto smiled softly and bent down, picking the pig up from the floor and hugging the pig with the same amount of strength as he did with Shizune and Tsunade. The pig honked out and slapped its little feet against Naruto's shoulders and chest to make him release it, but the blond boy didn't let up. It truth, he thought it tickled getting hit by a pig at least seven times smaller than he was. But time was burning away and the boy handed the tiny pig back to Shizune and headed for the door finally. He rested his hand against the golden handle and gave Tsunade and Shizune a quick look before rushing out of the door and into the windowed hallway.

There were many paintings and windows going along the length of the Hokage tower and it went from one end all the way to the stairwell on the other end. The boy walked along the length of the hall, admiring the artwork once again and staring out of the windows, trying to keep the air in his lungs. With the rallying field built as the center of the village, Naruto could see shinobi, kunoichi and samurai all building up in formation, each showing off their designation, platoon and division they were in. They stood in large rectangular formations with at least twenty rectangles with enough space for twice that many. With what he could currently see, there were more troops making their way onto the field for the ceremony.

Great thing about the reconstruction of the village, the Alliance managed to make the center of the village just in front of the Hokage compound. That meant, once Naruto left those blasted gates of the compound, he had no choice but to walk forward and meet the Kage's and the current Shuryō of the Alliance; Ay. He was excited and his nerves were wracked. His body shook and his breath was bated. What would one expect from Konoha's Number One, Knuckle Headed Ninja? He looked down at his hands. _Heh…my hands have been like this for hours._ Naruto thought to himself. _Interesting._

Naruto walked down the hallway nodding and smiling at his fellow shinobi, trying his best to try to not show that he was actually freaking out. Shinobi and samurai smiled and showed the same sentiment. Naruto even exchanged a few high-fives and handshakes from some of the troops. In his moment of complete bliss, the boy lost his concentration and his sense of presence in the world around him. He missed the first step down and tumbled on each step of the stairs; all two-hundred of them. He rolled down and bounced down, with each impact stacking the pain on top of the previous without prejudice. Naruto landed on the first floor and rolled about like a loose wheel.

"Naruto-sama!" One of the samurai guarding the door shouted. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah!" Naruto replied with a fake smile spread across his face. "I was just stretching my legs y'know."

"U-Understood, Naruto-sama." The samurai replied. "Do you need help up?"

"None. There's no need." Naruto smiled at the samurai and rose to his feet on his own. He looked at the two samurai guarding the door and gave them both nods. The two samurai bowed deeply before pulling the door open to reveal a garden that had an ever increasing beauty about it. Butterflies fluttered left and right with insects enjoying their time in the afternoon sun of Konoha. Naruto shuddered for a moment though as the image of Tora running across the garden was seen. The damned cat was chasing after a bright green butterfly for some annoying and strange reason, hopping about and digging its disgusting paws into the serene garden.

_Damned cat._ Naruto growled softly. _I can't believe that the damned thing is still alive. _

Naruto shook his head and walked over towards the gates of the compound ready to step off and make his endearing speech about love and power and peace. But from the far side of the compound, a beauty with a head of black hair emerged from behind the shrubs and bushes adorning the garden. In her arms was a baby with a tuft of blond hair on her head. The baby held onto her mother with its fat and pudgy arms. Naruto smiled at the sight and charged for the two. After all, they were his family.

"What are you doing out of the hospital Shizuka-chan?!" Naruto asked incredulously. "I thought that you'd be in there for a while."

"I was wounded Naruto-kun." Shizuka replied with a smile. "Not dying. Besides, I think your family should be there to watch your promotion."

Naruto reached forward and held his lover and daughter; his warmth spreading throughout the three of them. Kohaku giggled and reached over with one of her arms and held onto Naruto's haori with a vice-like child grip. What more could he want from life at this point. Within a few hours, Shizuka had managed to heal and recuperate completely from her wounds, many of which, he was told were life-threatening. Naruto of course didn't think it through; Karin had something to do with her miraculous healing.

Shaking his head from those thoughts, the boy kissed Shizuka and Kohaku softly and turned to head for the gates once more. He could hear the rumble and the cheers of the shinobi amassed outside of the compound. He could hear their roars and screams. He could feel their excitement and their bated breaths. He could already imagine what they were going to say about him. He could already see himself fucking up. Oh Naruto could feel the embarrassment build within. His body went numb and slack as the fear began to take over him. What was this feeling? It was foreign, completely new to him. It wasn't even fear anymore. It was something else entirely different.

Naruto was suddenly grabbed by Shizuka and kissed. While not a passionate kiss, nor a forceful kiss, it did its job. The blond was awestruck by the sudden movement and nearly passed out with a bit of blood already moving up to his nose. Shizuka stared at him with a glimmer in her dark emerald eyes; a glimmer that said; _Go, make this family proud. _Naruto couldn't help but feel his heart swell from the sight. Shizuka genuinely cared. He smirked at his lover and gave her a quick nod before walking towards the gate, this time, no stopping or any fears within.

"See you later then."

_A few hours later…_

The bar was exploding with action as the Konoha Ten plus others, were cheering loudly for their new Shuryō; Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto. The boy was smiling with a bright blush on his face with Shizuka in his arms. Kohaku was left with Tsunade since he knew that if the old hag got drunk, things would get a bit out of hand. People were lifting their sake saucers in Naruto's name and others even raised their sake bottles in his name, just before downing the entire glass or bottle until there wasn't even a drop left to consume. The blond kept his smile going and nodded as one by one, his friends told the truth about his ascent and how they felt about it.

It bothered him slightly that almost every person he was friends with had said that they didn't believe that he'd be able to become Hokage or be in any part of politics, or even being a shinobi for the most part for that matter at least. It peeved him even more when some of them joked about how he was starting to have a strange obsession over haori cloaks like how he has an obsession over the color orange. To see their new leader still with his abhorrent obsession over the color orange had a few of them wondering whether or not they should just quit and impeach him now. Who in their right mind was going to take an orange clad idiot seriously?

Naruto burst into laughter at the prospect of someone having to surrender to him while he's wearing the most obnoxious clothing. The boy took a glass and a bottle and poured some for himself and for Shizuka. That is, until Karin came along and slapped his right hand, causing him to drop the saucer designated for Shizuka. Naruto was surprised and angry at the same time ready to snap at Karin. But Sakura and Hinata had the same looks as Karin did; disappointment.

"NEVER give an alcoholic drink to a pregnant woman." Karin said sternly. "Here you go Shizuka-chan. How about some tea?"

"Oh thank you Karin-chan!" Shizuka smiled brightly before gulping her warm tea in one go.

The guys burst into laughter and pointed at the blond Shuryō. Some even said; He can rule a nation, but he doesn't even know what drink to give his own wife. To hear Shizuka being called his wife made Naruto freeze in the mind. Of course, he was planning on marrying Shizuka anyway, but to have it happen so soon of seeing her again and finding out that he is the father of her daughter, made his head hurt but feel someone elated.

Suddenly the world around them turned dark and filled with malicious intent. The air was pressurized and peoples ears began to pop. Naruto jumped forward and drew out a three-pronged kunai and protected his lover. Shinobi of the Konoha Ten went into action and set up a defensive perimeter around the blond Shuryō and his lover. They were the VIP's of this coming fight. Whoever was coming was powerful and was also drawing the attention of some Alliance Samurai.

The air warped and it spat out a woman with long dark hair wearing a strange mask resembling a tusked animal. It was clearly a woman because of the person's boobs that were just slightly smaller than Shizuka's. The woman ran a hand through her long dark and black hair before clicking the heels of her kunoichi sandals against the wooden floorboards beneath her. Naruto glared at the newcomer and whistled as loud as possible.

Shinobi and samurai jumped forward and landed around the woman with blades and knives drawn to hold her at bay. For some reason, Karin couldn't sense who she was, almost as if her clothing was blocking the chakra wave. Whoever this woman was, she wanted to keep her secret identity safe. The shinobi and samurai rushed forward, but the girl simply backed away and two samurai rammed each other in the collision. The woman smiled and threw up a hand that caused the rest of the group of soldiers to freeze in their paths.

"Oh well." The woman flicked her wrists and those caught in her strange jutsu were somehow ordered to kill themselves. Blood spattered all over the place causing the Konoha Ten to howl in fear and back away from the masked kunoichi.

"Stay back you guys." Naruto glared. "I don't know who the fuck you are, but you'll pay for what you've done."

"We'll see Naruto-kun." The woman smiled and blew the boy a kiss laced with a perfume like aura about it. Karin knew better though and pushed the two lovers back and threw Naruto and Shizuka to the floor while throwing a kunai of her own towards the trespasser hoping to do some damage before the world swallowed the woman again. But of course, the good guys were too slow and the woman disappeared and their attacks phased right through her and embedded in the wall behind her. Once she disappeared, the Konoha Ten stared at one another with confused looks on their faces.

Naruto smiled for some strange reason and it was starting to bother the shinobi. He pointed out of the window to reveal a bright and beautifully read sun setting in the distance behind the walls of the village. Its rays spread left and right, all across the horizon, painting it with the most beautiful hue of orange, red and scarlet. The Konoha Ten stayed quiet and watched the sun drift away not to be seen while medic ninjas and other shinobi made their way to the scene.

"Well. I know what we should put on our flag now." Naruto beamed.

"A setting sun!"

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**I hope you enjoyed. I was getting real frustrated with having to keep rewriting this dumb chapter.**

**Ja ne!**

**gottahavekyuubi**


	3. Edo

**Yo. I'm back to this story! I just want to let y'all know that this fanfiction will start off slow because of all of the introduction to the wonderful world of politics. Don't worry, it'll only last for a short while. Sort of. I'm sorry if you're not really interested in this type of thing, but it should've been been expected since Naruto got promoted to being the leader of the alliance. There will be a bit of political talk in the next few chapters as we watch Naruto adapt and conform to his new position.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

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**Chapter 3: Edo**

Naruto stood in front of his apartment, with a reminiscent look on his face. A bit of disappointment could be seen swirling in his eyes. He looked away from the door and out towards the bustling village. The other four kage were preparing to leave with their armies in tow giving the village a loud and active feel; even more so than usual. The difference though was an obvious one, one that made Naruto a bit nervous. There were hundreds of ANBU from all five nations, jumping roof to roof and walking the streets below looking for clues behind the assassination attempt just a week before.

Naruto thought silently to himself, wondering who that woman is and what she was planning to do; with three Uchiha to deal with, two of which with powerful armies, Naruto felt that having another opponent to worry about was a bit much on his plate. He grunted in disapproval at the turn of events. It seems a bit redundant in his opinion to have another enemy to worry about now that the war was at a ceasefire. Something about that woman bothered him. She seemed to have known him, but he couldn't recall a black-haired girl with hair like that other than Shizuka.

He sighed and walked away from his apartment with a small scroll in his hand. The scroll held all of his precious belongings within. He was leaving today for the capital city of the Alliance, a place that the five Kage would meet every month to discuss the progress of the alliance and the five nations. With Naruto in the new capital he would have to take everything he owned and move it into his new palace, which from the descriptions that the Iwa shinobi builders had let slip; it was going to be magnificent to behold. He walked down the steps of the emergency stairs with his hand slowly sliding against the smooth wooden railings.

A group of heavily armored samurai awaited their leader at the bottom of the stairs with the members of the Konoha Ten. Karin though was wearing a backpack and Shizuka was already in a carriage waiting on the cobblestone paved road nearby. Naruto could see Kohaku laughing and throwing her little baby arms about while Shizuka struggled to calm the little rascal without having to use chakra. Karin obviously saw it but didn't make a move to help, finding the little baby cute.

Once Naruto's feet hit the dirt he was led over by the samurai guards to a horse draped in a deep red and purple saddle and wrap. It was armored enough to make sure that not even the largest of spears would penetrate and kill the mount. Karin nodded at her new boss and followed him to her own horse. Neji was led to a horse as well as Shikamaru. With the four on their rides, Naruto gave his friends one last nod before giving the signal to move out.

He looked to his three closest friends. Neji was a given to be taken since he was a combat genius and a great fighter. Another easy choice was Shikamaru since his knowledge was unparalleled to the rest of the shinobi he had met. Sure Shikaku was a genius, but Shikaku would rather stay at home. Naruto felt that his good friend Shikamaru had the skills but needed the motivation to go and use his abilities, what better motivation than _forcing_ him to work. Then his thoughts fell onto Karin. He might have gotten a bit too personal with his choice in the matter, but he felt his reasoning was sound.

After all, he did name her his daughter's godmother. Karin wasn't there for that reason, oh no, she was there because of her skill. Yes…her skill. Karin was smart, an amazing sensor and…who was he kidding with all of that talk. Naruto knew the real reason why he wanted Karin there and Karin had a feeling that she knew too. So much so fast and so far, they've only had about a week to discuss what was to become of the two of them. Naruto still felt in his heart that he loved Karin but he had to try and force himself to love Shizuka, or at least on an institutional level of _love_. Naruto wanted to feel that way about the mother of his daughter but he just felt that he didn't know enough about the black-haired woman. If anything, she was still a stranger to him.

But with Karin, Naruto felt that he was still with her. His love for her hasn't died, nor did he feel that it would. She was his and only his for almost an entire year. To think that it all fell apart so suddenly brought a slight sting to his heart. How troublesome to put it in the words of one of his best friends. What other word could he use to describe the situation? Naruto lowered his head with a sigh. The caravan was coming close to the main gate.

Civilians and Konoha shinobi crowded near and around the main road watching Naruto leave with his caravan leave. From within the carriage, Shizuka waved at the people as they waved at her, some called out to her and some even tossed flowers with wishes of beauty and health to her and her daughter. Shizuka couldn't help but smile, only to have it drop immediately. Her eyes trailed down to her belly to already see it start to grow. It has been almost a month since the _incident_. Shizuka looked up at the driver of the carriage and looked back out the window with a frown.

_What if I don't want the kid anymore?_ Shizuka wondered. _What if he or she looks like their father? I don't think I'd be able to face the child._

Shizuka held her baby tightly while the little girl played with her bangs framing her face. Kohaku's giggles filled her ears and made Shizuka giggle too. Her emerald eyes looked up and locked with a pair of emerald eyes that held just as much passion and fury as hers did. Kohaku had her mother's eyes in more ways than one. Kohaku though had a glint that had been forever lost to Shizuka; innocence. Kohaku laughed harder as the carriage wheels came to a bumpy part of the road, causing the little baby to jump and shake for nearly a minute. But once it stopped, Kohaku stared at her mother.

"What's wrong baby?" Shizuka asked softly.

Her only reply was Kohaku's deafening wail.

_Outside…_

Naruto felt a laugh leave his mouth as Kohaku's cry replaced her laughter. Shizuka's own cry of despair was heard only making the blond laugh harder. Karin shook her head at the blond and gave him a good head-slap, nearly causing him to fall from his high horse and into the dirt below. Neji and Shikamaru stifled their laughter when Naruto shot them both glares that meant business. The two jounin looked away from each other with their smiles still on their faces.

Naruto looked back at his friends and watched the village around him slowly dissipate as he got closer and closer to the main gate. Tsunade and her jounin council were following her closely as she herself was following the caravan. The blond nodded his head at the woman he'd seen as a second mother and turned away to face the large gate coming in fast. The hooves of his horse clacked against the cobblestone road as they trotted onward.

Shinobi guarding the gate waited for their new leader to give the order. The carriage came to a halt and Naruto's personal guard stopped next to him. The boy took a deep breath of Konoha air and sighed when the smell of home left his nose. Naruto smiled softly as the world around him came to a shuddering halt. All the places that he remembered since childhood, Ichiraku, Yakiniku, Training Ground 7…all the places that meant so much to him were all getting left behind for a new start in a newly built city, a city that the boy had never even heard of.

Edo. Where did this place even come from? Where has it been this entire time? All he knew was that it was on the northeastern coast of Hi no Kuni. A port city that everyone failed to mention most likely. Who knows what kind of things that they added there. The boy sighed again; what if he had to bring life to the city from scratch? What if he was the one to make everything serviceable? What if he didn't and the entire alliance collapses? He slapped himself across the face and took a deep breath to concentrate.

People gave their new leader strange looks but Naruto didn't pay them attention. He looked around the village amazed by the beauty of the structures erected all around the main road leading up to the walls and the buildings began to shrink in size. He shut his eyes once more, but raised his hand and gave the signal. A deep rumble was heard as the heavy wood and metal scrapped against the stone and dirt. Naruto's eyes slowly opened as the massive gates creaked open completely with a few wisps of dirt and dust began to float about covering the road from sight.

He slapped the reins on the horse, taking off towards the gate and trotted out onto the road with his personal guard following closely. The carriage creaked and road off as well, coming closely behind. The rumble of the creaking wood got louder as the moments passed. Before he knew it, he was deep in the infinite forest that surrounded Konoha in all directions. He looked back as the people gave one last wave before the gates of the village shut.

"Let's go!" Naruto smiled. "We don't have all morning!"

_Almost a week later…_

Naruto dropped his head against his metal-rimmed, mahogany desk with a sigh escaping his mouth. He rubbed his bare forehead against the wooden surface all the while, groaning like a rabid animal. Within moments, he began to bang his head against the desk in frustration, sending paperwork and his pen in all directions. Next to him, Shikamaru sighed, equally, if not more bored than the leader of the Alliance. Shikamaru scratched the barely healed scar on his forehead and looked over to Neji to see him, actually bored as well.

Naruto glared when there was a knock on the door. He loved the new city; it was perfect even, with massive buildings, pagoda-styled giving the city a traditional look. The people were kind and loving, with a genuine vibe coming from them. The castle had a perfect view of the sea, which during midday gave the city a gorgeous shimmer, but it was no Konoha. Shaking his head as he peeled his forehead from the desk, he groaned an 'enter', not even caring to hide his disdain.

The door opened to reveal Karin holding a massive stack of paperwork, making Naruto cringe. Behind her though, was a chef from the best restaurant in the city, carrying with him the amazing scent of ramen, herring soba and mackerel; the favorites of the three boys. Karin slapped the stack of paperwork onto Naruto's desk while snatching one of the bowls of ramen and taking pieces of the herring and mackerel. The three boys glared at her with fire in their eyes, ready to burst, but Karin simply raised a finger and shook her head, all the while, stuffing her face, slowly, as if she was tempting the boys to do something against her.

"I am a woman. Kunoichi or not, and you three are making me, a woman, carry almost one hundred pounds of paperwork, back and forth, while you are sitting around doing nothing." Karin said with some fish still being chewed. "I deserve this shit. Now Naruto, get to working on that paperwork, or else I'll have to ask Shizune for tips to make you work-"

"Ok! Ok! Evil woman!" Naruto cried with tears going down his face. "I'll do this!"

"Good, baka." Karin snickered as she sat on the edge of Naruto's desk.

The redhead continued to eat her ramen in front of the blond. She smirked at him and sighed when he started giving her a look of desperation, like a lost puppy. She quickly turned and grabbed another bowl of ramen, one larger than the usual ones from Ichiraku and slammed it onto Naruto's desk. Naruto quickly dug in while the other two boys rushed for the table carrying food and dug in as fast as they could. Karin was surprised that they even lasted this long, cooped up in a room like this.

The room wasn't bad or anything, in fact it was glorious. Just plain glorious. Karin looked left and right and found some of the most royal-looking furniture she'd ever seen in her life. There seemed to be gold plated armrests and gold plated door corners. Even parts of the desk were covered in gold. She was damn sure that everything was going a bit over the top with the regality. In her opinion though, it was a well-deserved upgrade from the high-rise condo that they lived in together. The walls were cream with a few lines of orange to accentuate the Alliance's leader's obsessions.

She looked out into the city from her view and nearly sighed at the sight. It was about midday and the entire world seemed to be covered in the most beautiful tone of color she'd ever seen. Not even Konoha at mid-summer sundown was anywhere close to Edo and her view of the sea. Karin smiled softly as she slurped her ramen, caring little of where the broth might fly. Naruto deadpanned at the redhead, getting Karin's attention. Karin gave him a sheepish smile; only to slurp slowly. She blushed when Naruto's deep blue eyes glazed over with a slight glimmer in them as he looked over towards the sun, shining down onto Edo.

The room was silent, save for the slurps, gulps and chomps. Karin though was now sitting in a chair while running her eyes over certain papers and nearly passing out as she read each word. Thanks to Naruto's undoubted illiteracy, Shikamaru's undoubted laziness and Neji's undoubted boredom, they passed over at least five reports on Sasuke. He was moving hard through the Land of the Sea, which only meant one thing; Sasuke was taking over Orochimaru's old bases. Karin shook her head and slid the five sheets of paper towards Naruto, only for the boy to push them away.

"What are you doing Naruto?" Karin glared. "As your hand-picked advisor, it's my job to make you-"

"I know what Sasuke's doing." Naruto replied, wiping broth from the corner of his lips. "I also know that even with a thousand men, he cannot storm this city. He'll need at least half that amount of ships to attack by the sea and he'll need a massive arsenal of siege weapons, which, I know for a fact, he isn't doing. Sasuke may be a genius in many ways, but he is too prideful to even think of things his army can do to help."

"I've been talking with Shikamaru and Neji about coming up with a psych evaluation for Sasuke and his leadership style, based off of our past encounters with him…" Naruto laughed for a bit and set his ramen bowl down. "Scarface. Wanna continue?"

"Why not." Shikamaru had a visible scowl at the nickname. "Basically, thanks to the information we've been able to get from Naruto and those who've encountered the Uchiha, there's a lot have you, we've been able to find that Sasuke is a leader, that only cares for the final result, no matter the cost. Sasuke is the type of leader that will gladly throw away hundreds of men and women to satisfy his own goals. Not only that, but from what you've been able to tell us about his leadership style in a small team setting, Sasuke doesn't know how to equally distribute power among others which will probably cause infighting among his commanders and sub-leaders, which in the long run, will ruin his standing."

"But the one thing we can't figure out…" Neji began. "Why would someone like Sasuke, or at least someone with the personality or psyche like that, would want an army at his or her back? Of all things, an army. I always knew that the Uchiha was a strange case, but to actually have to deal with it personally is enough to make someone nauseous."

"Like I said Karin." Naruto laughed. "By the time Sasuke even decides to land an army on our shores or attack us from the sea, we'll be able to repel him and his forces easily, thanks to hundreds of different factors that could easily fall into place, such as the strange concentration of whirlpools in the dead country, weather could slow, or even destroy parts of their fleet, the list can go on and on."

"What if they do land an army successfully?" Karin asked, not impressed with their confidence in a city they haven't even lived in for more than a week. "What if?"

"Then we'll beat them back." Naruto replied with a sigh. "The shinobi and samurai posted here in Edo are the most experienced and had the highest amount of kills during the October-war."

"October-war?" Karin asked with a raised eyebrow. "What's with the name? The war isn't over."

"I know, but I just thought that the war needed name." Naruto snickered. "The Fourth Great Shinobi World War…it's a mouthful, and it wasn't much of a great war either. When you think about it, the war didn't even make it to its first weak before a ceasefire was made. So, October-war."

"You're impossible." Karin rolled her eyes and looked back down at her papers. "Did you know that Tobi was starting to reallocate his forces near Tsuchi no Kuni? And the reanimated Madara is nowhere to be found? Also, Kabuto is still on the loose, last seen near Kawa no Kuni."

"I know." Naruto sighed and rested his right fist in his cheek. "I've read many of those reports and found many of them to be true. But the most disturbing thing of all is that the woman who attacked us back in Konoha still hasn't been found."

Karin gave Naruto a look that the blond knew all too well. The redhead stood from her seat and began to pace back and forth while Neji rested his knuckles against the desk and Shikamaru leaned against the window with a blank, but pondering look on his face. It was safe to assume that the burden that Naruto was meant to take as his own was in a way; fantastically and equally rested upon the backs of the four of them. To run an entire Alliance made up of the five most powerful shinobi nations and the most powerful, explicitly samurai nation was like a hammer digging into their heads.

"I want to know who that woman is." Naruto suddenly spoke, his sapphire eyes stared out at the city. "If she can manage to slip in and out of places like that, it could only mean that she could even get into the city without any problem and kill Shizuka and Kohaku any moment they want."

"The possibilities of Sasuke and this mysterious woman forming an alliance together…" Neji shook his head with a scowl marring his face. "Sasuke would have a free key into the city with her at his back. Despite his rather depressing psych evaluation, we've also managed to agree that Sasuke would use anything and anyone as a tool to get what he wants, no matter the consequence. He would most likely use this mysterious woman for his own needs, and he might even kill her for us, leaving him for us to exterminate. Two birds with one stone?"

"Too simple." Shikamaru breathed. He sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Sasuke may be a bit of a warmongering simpleton, but he's not that much of a simpleton. Sure he's predictable, despite being a battle-genius, but he wouldn't do something THAT predictable. Sasuke is in a way, a methodical version of Naruto. Whereas Naruto here would probably talk people into doing what he wants, or spam his kage bunshin, Sasuke would manipulate people to do his bidding before casting them away, probably to send them off in their own paths, never to cross with his again. Isn't that right Karin?"

"Just a tad." Karin flustered softly, bad memories were starting to surface. "I know Sasuke. He'd more likely kill this mysterious woman before even having a talk with her. Especially after my last encounter with the psychopath, a little over a year ago, he was completely delirious. That sharingan of his fucked him in the head worse than some of the cursed seals did to Orochimaru's experiments. Sasuke is a changed person, and it's not for the better. To think that Sasuke would get rid of one of our enemies is naivety talking, and to think that Sasuke would let someone walk after he uses them is crazy talk."

"I was lucky that I got away." Karin began before sitting down once again. "This mysterious woman had better hope she's as good as she thinks she is. Sasuke managed to literally kill his older brother, and kill Orochimaru, and kill Danzo. All three of those shinobi were top class shinobi, each one, more terrifying than the other, and each one stronger than the other. Sasuke didn't get lucky when he fought them, he thought meticulously, and planned out everything. As we speak, he's probably training to fight you Naruto, and if his manipulation of others is as common as I still think it is, he's probably placed spies in Edo already, trying to get information on your cabinet Naruto, which by the way, is expected to arrive before midday tomorrow."

"Thank you for reminding me." Naruto sighed and wiped sweat from his brow once again. "All three of you have good points that are all equally plausible, but all that really remains now, is to deal with our problems as a united Alliance of six different Lands, each one filled with countless bickering Daimyo that I will have to deal with, and three raging Uchiha, a snake-man hybrid and a mysterious woman in a mask of course to top it all off."

"Why is nothing simple anymore?" Naruto leaned back in his chair. "Ok. Debrief me on my apparent cabinet."

"Ok, Neji, Shikamaru and I are your personal advisors and guards, making us at the top." Karin began. "Next is Koharu from Konoha, one of the advisors for the past three Hokage, from third to fifth; Ishiyori Nakamura, one of the most respected councilmen from Sunagakure, send as a dignitary from Gaara; big fan of yours Naruto."

"Next is Toyami Kanagami, an advisor personally picked by Oonoki himself to help with the defenses and act as a war minister with you as the supreme commander. Afterwards is Yumi Unabara, another woman chosen to act as a war minister for you from Kirigakure. Mizukage-sama used her as a general during her civil war against the fourth Mizukage." Karin continued reading through the list. "Finally ending with two from Kumogakure; Nariake Takeda and Sujin Masuda, both of which are somewhat old timers like Koharu, so expect some offensive things to come from their mouths. Just don't take any of it personally."

"Koharu is perfect for working with you to help you with proper political etiquette and working with foreign delegates. Sujin and Nariake were best known for money handling, which is something that you'll have to start worrying about now that your own pocket money isn't going to help run an alliance. Yumi, Toyami, Neji and Shikamaru will help you as military advisors, and finally, Ishiyori and I will help you with writing speeches and actually saying them to congregations of people. I'll also be helping you fix your schedule with the help of Shizuka, since she wanted to have a part in this."

Naruto was flabbergasted at how well rounded everything already was. It was a thought everyone was sharing; they haven't even been in Edo for more than a week, and already, their freaking out about schedules and meetings and thinking so far ahead as to talk about making speeches and talking in front of large crowds. Naruto shook his head, beginning to regret what he'd agreed to. Suddenly, a thump was head as the door to his office creaked open and was suddenly slammed shut. Naruto looked up only to burst into tears.

"More paperwork Naruto-kun." Karin giggled.

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**Political intrigue has always interested me, so much so, I was excited to write this chapter and I even had fun making their conversation about such things. Politics makes me smile and I love to read debates and other such things. Oh well if you didn't like it.**

**Ja ne!**

**gottahavekyuubi**


	4. Rising Tension

**Hey there! I'm back with another chapter!**

**Oh by the way, Freowin...I can't believe you actually read this! I can't help but wonder if you've read Part I. I also just have to say, you were partly the inspiration to writing a NarutoxKarin fanfiction in the first place! To know that you've read this made me freak out like crazy man. Much thanks.**

**Anyway.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Rising Tension**

Karin ran her eyes through the report with a cold chill running through her body. This had Sasuke written all over it, but Naruto and the rest of the guard didn't agree. What pirate would blatantly attack a convoy of Kirigakure warships and sink half of them, taking a flagship to the bottom of the ocean as well, and kill a Kirigakure politician in the process? It seemed that Sasuke was continually working against Tobi's interests and working more towards his own, which at the moment, undefined and unknown.

The redhead slammed the report down onto the desk in front of her and took a deep breath. She picked up another report, a dispatch from Konoha saying that Koharu had gotten sick and had to be admitted into the hospital for better care; leaving Naruto with a shinobi that was going to be about ten days late, two old-timers who were probably going to say something ignorant or completely arrogant and anger someone else. And then he was going to be stuck with a lava-maiden from Iwa, whom of which was best known for melting people more often that the Mizukage does.

Karin shook her head and slid the sheet of paper from her hands and onto the desk. She lifted her coffee mug to her mouth, slowly taking sips as she leaned her butt onto the side. She was bored and after approving some of the paperwork that Naruto should have already done, she was left with nothing to do. Neji and Shikamaru were off asleep in their rooms of the palace, and Naruto was too busy, still being asleep with Shizuka.

Karin looked away as she set the coffee mug onto the desk. She walked over to Naruto's side of the table and quickly plopped into the cushioned swivel chair, immediately bouncing up and down. She laughed for a bit and quickly fixed her glasses and hair and began to reread everything on the desk, more importantly, trying to make sure that she didn't fuck up on sorting the papers. Many of these sheets were troop movements requiring approval from Naruto, Neji or Shikamaru, or even herself. If any of those papers were to get into the wrong hands, or even destroyed, things would get pretty hectic for the alliance, and to top it off, it would be held against her.

She shivered suddenly, thoughts of getting thrown into jail again ran through her thoughts. If something like that were to happen, she knew that she wouldn't be able to bail herself out of it like the first time. If anything, the first time was just pure luck. Who knew that Naruto would come and see her, and if she remembered it correctly, the boy didn't even know that they were gonna call him. She took a deep breath, wanting to force the thoughts from her raging head. Her breath was ragged but she managed to calm down well enough.

She pushed aside the sheets of paper finding one at the bottom of the stack. It looked torn and burned even. She was confused and quickly took the piece of paper and read the content; second by second feeling a something within. She shivered, this time it was with good reason. Her crimson eyes ran back and forth with bullets of sweat starting to slip down her brow. Her breath hitched. Something was wrong. Something wasn't going as planned. Karin turned the piece of paper over only to find more words which quickly turned into threats.

She slammed the sheet down, already stressed out of her mind. She stood from the swivel chair and bellowed. Suddenly, the door shot open to reveal a young ANBU kunoichi standing at the ready, visibly shaking with excitement apparently. She had a porcelain mask in the shape of a boar with body armor holding her well-endowed chest hidden. The shoulder-pads and thigh guards clearly showed she was from Konoha. The girl had long-black hair and had curves that Karin surly wished she had. Karin took a deep breath and handed the sheet of paper to the ANBU, folded and marked with an ink seal.

"ANBU." Karin said with a frown. "Wake the Shuryō. He needs to read this, and I know that this doesn't have to be said, but this message is for the Shuryō's eyes only."

"Understood." The ANBU bowed and walked from the door shutting it quietly.

_That girl sounded familiar._ Karin thought to herself. _Nevermind, it's probably just my imagination. I'm just so stressed. This job is killing me, and when the hell are these damned cabinet members going to get to the fucking city?! I need to relax. I am getting too worked up over nonsense; nonsense that should be on the shoulders of the actual Shuryō, no me. I need a break, and it's only the first week on the job._

Karin headed over to the left of the office to find a small personal bar with whiskey, vodka, sake and tea, all waiting to be ingested. She smiled in relief when the tea pot released a steady stream of what smelled like oolong tea. The hot, steamy tea splashed in the small tea cup bringing an aura of relaxation. Karin brought the small tea cup to her mouth, blowing on it to calm its temperature and placed her small lips against the edge of the cup. The tea, warm and tangy, slid down her mouth and into her throat, slowly soothing her aching body.

She sighed in relief, carrying the cup with her towards the Shuryō desk. Now, calmed and with a loosened muscles, she smirked and began to stamp papers with her approval. All that remained was for Naruto to approve of the papers himself. Things were still complicated and it pissed her off, but with oolong tea, she was as calm as could be. She stamped away, letting the time go by, waiting for her leader to appear.

Just before the girl thought she was going crazy, the door opened to reveal Shikamaru, Neji and Naruto, all three covered in sweat and missing shirts, but with shirts in the bags hanging by a strap. Karin's face went up in heat when she realized that despite Shika's laziness, he was actually quite muscled. Neji had a great body with very impressive pectorals, and of course Naruto. Karin's mouth went dry, almost completely forgetting how Naruto looked without a shirt on. Her crimson eyes trailed up and down Naruto's scarred and muscled body, only for her eyes to lock onto the eight-pronged seal on his bare abdominal.

"So you three decided that training early in the morning was ok, and leaving me to do all of this work?" Karin asked with a feigned look of hurt. "I am clearly offended."

Neji and Shikamaru scoffed and waved her off with smiles of their own and quickly walked over to the bar for some sake while Naruto walked over to Karin and wrapped his sweaty arms around Karin's body, drenching her with his sweat. The redhead squealed out and slapped Naruto, trying to get him off of her, but the girl was suddenly picked up and dropped on the rather comfortable couch against the right wall of the office, allowing Naruto to plop into his own seat.

Karin gave him a look, but the door opened revealing the ANBU from before, visibly distressed only to freeze and show that she was clearly flustered. The four shinobi stared at the ANBU for a good ten minutes before the girl decided to do anything. She rushed forward, keeping her head down, almost as if she was embarrassed about something and tossed the paper onto Naruto's desk, vacating the room as quickly as possible. The door slammed shut, leaving the four young adults to ponder what just happened. Whatever it was, Naruto was glad the girl decided to show up and hand him the report.

"I sent that girl to find you and wake you." Karin sighed. "Clearly, you weren't asleep, or anywhere to be found."

"Heheh, yeah, I've been awake since four in the morning training." Naruto replied, only to get a pillow thrown at him via Karin.

"W-What was that for?!" Naruto asked, completely surprised by the sudden attack. Neji and Shikamaru were laughing quietly while downing their drinks.

"You didn't even come into the office!?" Karin shouted, not even trying to hide her anger. "I've been in the office since I woke up at six! I've been doing the work you forgot to finish, baka!"

"O-Oh…yeah…" Naruto at least had the decency to look embarrassed. "I'm sorry Karin!"

"You'd better-"

"Naruto-sama." A voice sounded from the door.

"Who is it?" Naruto asked.

"Daisuke Yamauchi, General of the Fifth Army." The voice replied.

"Oh! Enter!" Naruto said, quickly slipping on his shirt and jounin vest.

The door swung open revealing a battle-scarred man with one white eye and another chocolate brown. His hair was a deep black with a few white strands of hair going from his hair line and out into his warrior pony-tail. He wore a full body, lamellar styled samurai armor, unlike the ones used by the Land of Iron samurai, which consisted of full plate that could channel chakra. This man was well known and even helped train Naruto with kenjutsu during the ten month reprise after the ceasefire of the October-war. Behind the large man was two of his best fighters, both were in the same armor style and wore full-head kabuto helmets along with battle-masks.

Around their waists was a thick blood-red rope, tied tightly, but still with enough room to hold two katanas at their sides, along with a naginata spear on their back. Speaking of their backs, they carried the banners of the Shinobi Alliance, the kanji for Shinobi. Funny thing was; the name Shinobi Alliance was starting to no longer be a valid name for the Alliance. With borders starting to disappear and smaller nations getting annexed evenly into the larger nations thanks to some well thought out decisions on Shikamaru's part, the Alliance was just now being called an Alliance.

"How can I help you, Daisuke?" Naruto asked, resting his hands on the desk in front of him.

"Naruto-sama." He bowed. "We have received a report from our patrols near the Land of Waterfalls."

"What is it?" Naruto was confused and opened the scroll.

"Son of a bitch." Naruto sighed and handed the scroll to Shikamaru. "Close the door."

With the door shut cleanly, with little noise, Naruto looked to Karin and the two Uzumaki sped through hand seals and slammed their hands onto the floor, spreading silencing seals all over the room. Once the seals were in place and locked away, Naruto looked to Shikamaru awaiting his wisdom. Neji ran his eyes along the lines and looked deep in thought as was the general. Shikamaru glared at the scroll and rolled it up, handing the scroll to the general.

"Things are only going to get worse from here on out if that report is true." Shikamaru sighed. "How reliable is the source?"

"Extremely reliable, Shikamaru-sama." Daisuke nodded. "They're my best scouts. I had received rumors of Akatsuki buildup in that area, along with the dead country of the mainland. They were rumors at first so we didn't report anything. But now we've received reports of soldiers patrolling the borders of both countries and even unmarked shinobi jumping through the trees. I didn't believe it at first, and neither did the other generals, so we didn't say a thing until more reports flowed into our offices. Slowly but surely, our scouts and some shinobi spies, infiltrated the countries and reported back with whole cities and fields dedicated to the Akatsuki military."

Naruto scratched his chin as the general continued. The Shuryō shook his head and stood from his seat and motioned for the general to continue. His back was to the samurai with his sapphire blue eyes watching the ocean breeze by. The general had just said that there were at least fifty known Akatsuki military bases and an undefined amount that still had to be found. The general snapped his fingers getting Naruto's attention only to find a strange arrow placed onto his desk. Naruto's interest was piqued and he quickly placed all of his attention on the weapon.

While the arrow shaft was quite normal, oak, the arrowhead was what caught his attention, along with the feathers used. He examined each part of the arrow and nearly collapsed into his swivel chair when he realized where it came from. He almost slapped himself across the face for not noticing it sooner. The arrow head was shaped like a sharpened snowflake. Commonly used by samurai or some skilled shinobi of Yuki no Kuni; a place he hasn't been to since he was a child. But why was this arrow here?

"This is from another patrol." Daisuke said. "Fourth Army had a patrol in northwestern Kaminari no Kuni and was ambushed by unmarked shinobi and unmarked samurai from. Fifteen were killed with twice that wounded with a one hundred percent casualty rate. It's the worst attack on Alliance forces since the October-war. Arrows like these were pulled from the backs and sides of the samurai and shinobi of that patrol. This can only mean one thing; Yuki no Kuni is growing stronger and stronger with their technological advancements and is starting to challenge the Alliance-"

"Not plausible." Neji interjected. "Yuki no Kuni, if I'm not mistaken is being ruled by Koyuki Kazahana, a peace advocate and managed to cut down on her military as best as she could. Sure she has advanced technologies, but under her leadership, she used the technology for peaceful measures such as transportation as the main usage of her nation's technology. It's improbable-"

"Anything is possible." Daisuke interrupted. "With all due respect Neji-sama, but even with a seemingly peace-loving leader, there's always a military that's in need of improving, therefore, leading to more usage of weapons and rise for better technology. Especially if it's a small nation like Yuki no Kuni, and smart like Yuki no Kuni, they'll need all the help they can get if they're to compete with any of the larger nations."

"Not only that…" Shikamaru suddenly spoke. "Last I checked, Yuki no Kuni isn't even a part of the Alliance, which could mean anything if this unprovoked attack was no lie. Not that I doubt you Daisuke-dono, but if Yuki no Kuni is gearing for a war, wouldn't they attack a more important, high-end target like a politician, or a General. I think there's something else going on if Yuki no Kuni is involved. I propose that we send a dignitary over there to have some peace talks and probably even have some technology at our side if we bring them into the fold of the Alliance."

Naruto nodded at Shikamaru and nearly jumped up and down in excitement. He was so damn tired and exhausted with having to sit in a chair all day without any chance to get any action done. The possibilities of leaving his wretched torture room brought a smile to his face. Already his heart was racing at the thoughts of getting to travel again just like before the war. Back when he was just a lowly genin. He slammed his fist onto the table and picked the arrow up from the desk and starred at the device, pretending that he was indeed, giving the weapon a deep inspection, when really he was too busy thinking of ways to convince them of letting him go without a fight.

"Ok." Naruto sighed as he placed the arrow back onto his desk. "I believe it's settled."

"What's settled pray-tell?" Karin asked.

"I'm going to Yuki no Kuni to speak to Koyuki-dono in person." Naruto beamed.

"No you're not mister." Karin glared. "You haven't been in this city for more than a week. You also have a family to take care of too, remember?"

"I'm inclined to agree with Karin." Shikamaru sighed. "As your advisors, it is our jobs to advise. I advise that you wait for a while before taking off and leaving the city too soon, especially now that the Alliance is now at the strongest it's ever been. You're needed here and now."

"Funny thing about advice." Naruto laughed sheepishly. "I never did listen to advice well."

"I knew you were gonna say something like that." Shikamaru sighed in despair. "What will we do about the Taki no Kuni deal? It seems that something will need to be done about the two different fronts."

"Agreed." Naruto smirked. "Neji, how would you like to join General Yamauchi to the border Taki no Kuni for some reconnaissance?"

"Given the circumstances." Neji sighed. "I guess I have no choice but to accept. I'll get packed by noon and leave by mid-afternoon."

The Hyuuga bowed respectfully and headed from the office towards his room on the western wing of the castle. Daisuke realized that the meeting was over and bowed respectfully to the three remaining in the office and left the room with little sound in his step, bringing silence back into the office. Naruto was silent and kept watch on the clock and his two friends. Shikamaru wiped his hand across his face, bored out of his mind as the door shut, leaving the three in complete silence.

"Alright. Karin." Naruto smiled softly. "You're in charge while I'm away in Yuki no Kuni. Please, I trust that you'll do well, and please make sure that Shika will wake up on time. I know he won't. And also please befriend Shizuka and Kohaku."

Karin's face fell. _I knew he'd say something._

"Talk with them and have some sort of friendship at least." Naruto smiled. "It would mean a lot to me if you two became good friends, after all, you're the godmother to my daughter. Kohaku will love you unconditionally if you open up to her. Promise?"

"Yeah, yeah, I promise." Karin sighed. "When will you leave Naruto?"

"I'm gonna go piss real quick." Shikamaru sighed not wanting to be anywhere near their sappiness. "And probably watch…clouds or something."

Naruto and Karin watched the Nara leave the office and shut the door behind him as he left, leaving the two Uzumaki alone to talk. Naruto ran a hand through his blond hair and gave Karin a small sigh followed by a smirk. A smirk that Karin knew she was going to miss. Karin backed away and leaned against the window sill, looking away towards the city streets with a look of distress.

"I'll probably leave tonight if I get everything together soon enough." Naruto said. "I'm not intending to use Kurama's power just yet. I don't want the Akatsuki to know that I've made a move. I especially don't want Sasuke knowing that I've made a move. He might get it into his head that Edo is weak and he might even try to attack the city while I'm away."

"How's your hiraishin?" Karin asked curiously.

"Shit." Naruto replied. "I can barely go thirty meters without having to use hand seals, and even then, I miss the kunai by almost six feet and at the most almost a mile. I can't control myself going at that speed yet, so it will be of paramount importance to keep this move a secret. No one can know that I've left."

"Understood Naruto." Karin sighed.

An awkward silence flowed between the two of them. Karin looked away, already, her heart was racing. She just hoped that she wasn't the only one with some feelings left over. Suddenly though, Naruto's rough, battle-hardened fingers were wrapped underneath her chin and moved her to look at him. Karin's breath hitched softly as her crimson eyes widened with surprise. Naruto leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Be safe Karin." Naruto gave her a foxy smile.

"S-So should y-you." Karin replied, knowing full-well that Naruto didn't feel anything from the kiss. "Just don't say anything stupid and piss someone important off, like you normally would."

"Heh, I'll try to!" Naruto smirked and ran off through the hall leaving Karin once again in the office to look after the paperwork.

The redhead ran a hand through her unkempt half and let out a roar, akin to a lion. She plopped into the swivel chair and slammed her bare forehead against the mahogany surface, rife with anger. Her breaths were ragged and her hands were shaking. She removed the metal rimmed glasses from her blushed face and released a gasp. What just happened was too much and quite frankly it caught her off guard. Karin kept her head pressed hard against the mahogany surface, not ready to show her face. She clenched her fists and slowly rose from the desk with a new look on her face. Despite her feelings for the blond Shuryō, she wasn't about to let him down.

"Tensions are rising." Karin stated absentmindedly. "And it's only going to get worse and worse. I need to step up my game and start helping this Alliance even more."

"Good god…" Karin took a deep breath. "What if the war starts again…?"

_Elsewhere…_

Trees blocked much of the island from the light of the sun. With the village below, reduced to only a few buildings left and the rest to rubble, there wasn't much action on the island. People's bodies were piled up and dumped into the ocean to feed the bloodthirsty sharks that have suddenly become accustomed to human flesh. Mourning families walked back and forth through the destruction, trying to find their deceased loved ones while at the same time trying to hide from the oppressive regime.

Walking through the thick foliage of the forest and jungle hybrid, the land began to elevate, until, slowly but surely, the earth extended high into the air as three different hills with a massive palace on top of the central hill. Bridges were made leading from the central palace to two other palaces on either side. The common image of the three palaces though was the massive banners bearing a single sigil; the clan sigil of the Uchiha.

Things were chaotic in Nadeshiko as women were thrown left and right, used and used. But in the palace, sitting upon a throne made from many weapons melted down into a seat, Uchiha Sasuke can be found, wallowing in darkness, alone. His hair fell down, covering his face while his forces ravaged the land around him, without order or even a decent command structure. Suigetsu and Juugo were standing guard watching the doorway to the throne room, making sure that no one could disturb their friend. Sasuke was glaring at everything in front of him.

His right hand rested against his cheek. He was pissed about something; it seemed that Suigetsu and Juugo didn't even care enough to find out why he was pissed anymore. Suddenly though, the two good friends of the Uchiha were ordered to leave. It was the first time the boy spoke since the girl Shizuka had escaped from the village. Something about Sasuke was having them worried. But knowing better than to go against the Uchiha's orders, they left the throne room as soon as possible, leaving the sulking Uchiha to himself.

Once the two were gone, Sasuke sat up in his seat and pushed his bangs from his face, revealing dark eye bags beneath his puffy eyes. His eternal Mangekyō sharingan was active, and strangely, watery, salty tears were falling down his face. His face was emotionless and his glare was gone, leaving nothing the face of someone truly hurt. He laid his head against the headrest of the throne, sighing with shaky breath. His hands gripped the armrests tightly, nearly breaking the rest completely.

But before he could continue crying, his tears were replaced with blood. Sasuke growled as a statue was caught on Amaterasu flame. He gritted his teeth as he started to break down. He hyperventilated slightly as his body began to ache slightly. Shutting his eyes, Sasuke let the blood fall and mix with his tears. His chest was pounding with pain as memories of a certain woman began to flow through his damaged mind. Sasuke knew he was in pain, and he knew that there was a hole in his heart that he couldn't fill without that certain woman. He was broken and he knew it, but one thing was for certain; he couldn't let anyone else know, or else, they could exploit that from him.

Ever since the Land of Iron, he missed her; ever since he realized his mistake; ever since he spoke with Itachi. He knew that he should have never treated her like that. It was all his fault and he reveled in his regret. While never being one to feel bad about his choices, Sasuke really felt it this time. The fact that he let her slip through his grasp was something that baffled him. He didn't know what it was that was about her, but it made his mind go crazy. Was it that she was his first time? Was it because she loved him unconditionally?

He shook his head as his knuckles cracked. He gripped the armrests, crushing parts of it. He gritted his teeth as his rage started to grow. Sasuke growled menacingly and let out a deafening roar. Despite having difficulty in getting spies into the nations aligned with the Alliance, Sasuke was able to get the message that a certain blond had already taken and claimed his woman. The Uchiha was vilified by the notion. _Vilified? _Sasuke thought to himself with a spiteful laugh leaving his lips. _I'm fucking disgusted._

"Karin…" Sasuke whispered. He held his chest as his heart beat painfully at the mention of her name. "I'm sorry…for everything I've done to you…"

"Well, well, well. Isn't this just sweet?" A voice appeared from behind the Uchiha.

Sasuke shot from the throne and landed in the center of the room with his kusanagi drawn. His sharingan was bright and blaring revealing that there was indeed another person in front of him, but it was strange that he couldn't see the chakra flow of the intruder correctly. Everything looked like a disgusting blotch of an ominous purple and black flowing off of her like his former curse mark. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the intruder.

"Who are you?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"**Katon: Gokakyuu no jutsu!**" The voice sounded.

Sasuke didn't move an inch. The voice sounded like it was coming from all directions, almost like there were duplicates. The Uchiha glared and barred his teeth, gripping the sword tighter than before, recognizing that there was only one person on the planet that could make shadow clones that can use jutsu without dispelling. He growled and channeled raiton chakra into his sword, covering him in a terrifying light-blue light.

The fireballs exploded around him, but strangely enough, the flames merely spread around him in a circle, almost binding him. If only he knew. Black seals shot from the flames and surrounded Sasuke holding him in place like shackles. His kusanagi fell from his hand, ending the chakra flow, leaving him to be illuminated in the orange hue coming from the orange flames. Sasuke was brought to his knees and forced to bow his head down to his attacker.

"It doesn't matter who I am." The voice said with a feminine tone.

"Who are you?" Sasuke asked once again, this time with more mirth, forcing himself to look at his attacker. It was clearly a woman. She had large breasts and wore armor representing ANBU armor from Konoha, but she was clearly not from Konoha. Her hair was a deep black with the lower part of her face visible while the upper half was covered with a mask resembling a boar. A sickening smirk on her face was formed, revealing pearl white teeth which quickly surprised Sasuke.

The woman smiled this time, a genuine smile and reached behind her head and began to mess with the straps, loosening her mask. Sasuke held his breath, curious as to whom this woman was. The mask fell from the woman's face and echoed on the granite floor. She stared at the slack jawed Uchiha and nearly burst into laughter. The smile never leaving her face as Sasuke finally came to from his surprise.

"I-It can't be!" Sasuke said as his body ran cold. "You're supposed to be dead!"

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**Who do you think the mysterious woman is? And how do you feel about the other side of Mr. Sasuke Uchiha?**

**Ja ne!**

**gottahavekyuubi**


	5. I Know You

**Wow. I know that this chapter is really short, but it's just to progress the story further. I have other chapters already in the works so I'm just going to post this and continue the finishing touches on the other chapters.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto...**

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**Chapter 5: I Know You**

Sasuke jumped back from the woman with his body shaking. He knows who this woman is, but before he could shout her name, the woman rushed forward and pressed her hands onto his face, shutting him quiet. Unbeknownst to Sasuke, there were about eight spies lurking around the village, and judging by the fact that she can't find them meant that they were damn good spies. The woman smirked and her eyes shimmered with a familiar color that Sasuke was surprised to see.

With Sasuke calmed, the woman smiled once again as she looked him up and down. The Uchiha glared at the woman and subconsciously reached for the Kusanagi strapped to his waist. The woman simply threw up a hand seal and Sasuke's hand froze and cramped, bringing him to his knees. She shook her head at the boy and nearly felt like she wanted to laugh at his naivety. Surprising since someone of his stature was deemed a genius.

"Why are you doing this…?" Sasuke growled, unable to state her name.

"I have a score to settle with an Uzumaki, as do you." The girl replied. "Also…call me boar."

"Why don't I just call you pig?" Sasuke asked with a smirk, trying to goad her.

"The funny thing about the mind…" The woman turned around with a glare. "Don't anger me Uchiha."

Sasuke's pain loosened and soon enough, receded completely. The woman reached down to pick her mask off the floor, but Sasuke beat her to it. He seemed somewhat different compared to the way people labeled him as. Sasuke handed her the mask and the woman wrapped it around her head on her own, all the while watching Sasuke's movements.

"You're welcome…boar." Sasuke whispered.

"Thank you, bastard." Boar replied with a grunt.

"You still didn't tell me how you're alive…" Sasuke said suddenly. "My spies told me that you'd died during the war."

"I guess you can say that Kami had other plans for me." Boar replied. "And it also helps that there's an Uchiha that has a great plan for the world. A plan that you should stop interrupting."

"How the hell am I interrupting anything that bastard does?!" Sasuke growled.

"Simple." Boar huffed. "You're one, destroying many countries in your strange conquest. Two; you're building an empire, for what? Three; you're raping and pillaging. What the hell has gotten in that head of yours to do all of this?!"

"It's none of your concern, Boar." Sasuke growled. "Now tell me why you're really here!"

"I am here to keep an eye on you Uchiha." Boar replied. "Obito doesn't want you becoming a liability since you have a perfect conditioned Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and not only that, but you are his best chance to keep that snake-bastard Kabuto on his toes."

"What makes him think I'm still on his side?!" Sasuke roared, drawing his sword free. "I no longer have any connections to that bastard Obito or whatever his name is. I want nothing to do with his organization."

"No one cares what you want Sasuke." The woman laughed. "No one ever cared what you wanted. All that matters now is the Tsuki no Me! You're nothing but a pawn for the greater plan Sasuke, remember that."

The woman turned away from the Uchiha and headed towards the door. She ran a hand through her bangs and long black hair to show that she was better than the Uchiha. She turned around, revealing an ANBU mask aligned with Konoha and the Alliance, with the design of a Boar. Sasuke gasped in surprise; what caused her to change so drastically? Sasuke was shaking when he realized that someone that he felt was so useless could be so scary. He ran a hand through his onyx hair, finding it drenched with sweat.

Out in the hallway, the Boar masked girl walked on with a glare hidden beneath her mask. She popped her knuckles, while secretly speeding through hand seals. Within seconds, a few shinobi aligned with Sasuke rounded the corner. She was dressed as an Alliance ANBU, surely, they'd kill her, but instead, they simply walked past her, unknowing of the woman walking by. Boar smiled and continued walking through the halls of the castle, hearing the cries of mercy echoing throughout the rooms and stone hallways.

She was bored and she wasn't to return to the Mountain's Graveyard for another week. _I could always return to Edo and help Karin and Shizuka with Kohaku…or I could easily just spy on Naruto-kun. So many interesting possibilities that I can do to mess these people up even more!_ The girl smiled viciously beneath her mask. _Everything that Obito told me simply opened my eyes to the horrors of this world. So much heart-ache and so much pain, all for what? I have to thank Obito for unlocking more of my abilities too._ Boar stretched her arms.

Once she got to the docks she had made up her mind. She was going to get some extra spying on the Uzumaki family in Edo, or should it be the Namikaze family. She shook her head and walked onto the trade ship leaving for the mainland. While she could easily take the walk from Nadeshiko on the ocean and be in Edo by the end of the week, she felt like conserving her chakra. Mind tricks were her strengths and mind tricks cost a great deal of chakra depending on how many she was affecting. The girl headed onto the trade ship, tricking the captain into thinking she was a crewmember.

She sighed at her apparent luck. The people around her were too susceptible to such simple tricks. Boar ran a hand through her dark black hair. Suddenly, two eyes opened at the hair-line. The eyes blinked and narrowed at the world in front of it. Boar grunted at the being strapped to her hair.

"**Boar…why are we going back to Edo?**" A dark voice asked, obviously annoyed by the change of plans.

"Because, I've already gotten an identity set up in Edo." Boar replied. "Besides I'm curious to see what both Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun see in Karin _and_ Shizuka."

"**I knew that there had to be more reason behind you finding Sasuke.**" The voice said with a deep rumble.

"You're too damn curious for your own good, Black Zetsu." Boar replied with a smirk. "You and I both know that Shizuka was the only woman he'd ever raped before."

"**Of course.**" Black Zetsu replied. "**Why are you really doing all of this Boar…?**"

"The reasons are my own." Boar replied. "I don't have to explain to you Black Zetsu and I sure as hell know that it won't interfere with the Tsuki no Me. So, please, shut up and continue being my permanent hair dye."

_Two days later…_

Boar walked off the ship dressed entirely in Alliance garb, looking like a shinobi returning from a mission. People of Edo nodded at her and smiled brightly at her presence without even knowing who the hell she even was. She didn't look their way and didn't show them her attention. She was in, and she needed to continue pretending to be someone she wasn't. But of course, the call sign she was assigned was rather a funny coincidence. She had tried her best to forget her old name, but so far, her attempts had proven fruitless.

As far as her attempts to forget her old life before the war, only came as far as being an academy student in some village. There were people of forgettable faces and teachers of forgettable subjects. Everything after that was as fresh as the smells of the market nearby. She gritted her teeth as a rather uncomfortable memory surfaced about her and a boy. Those memories were cut short by the image of another girl, equal in beauty to she was, if only by a little. Boar looked away towards the glimmering sea with a scowl on her face.

She stopped her shaking, realizing that she was acting out of character for a kunoichi supposed to be in ANBU. Trudging past multiple people, Boar managed to bottle her emotions perfectly, and return to her façade of an empty canvass that ANBU were. She steeled her resolve and walked onwards towards the palace along the shoreline, rising above the rest of the city upon a cliff. Banners of the Alliance were draped along the edges of the castles walls, causing Boar to scoff.

It was all a lie; something that the people placed their last remaining hopes into. But Boar knew better, she knew for a fact that this _hope_ they were believing in was all for nothing. Boar took a deep breath and walked through the front gates without a word being said. She flashed her ANBU mission scroll at the samurai guards as fast as possible and headed towards the palace. The girl didn't want anyone giving her a second look.

She passed through sensory shinobi with relative ease, almost perfectly. She and Black Zetsu were equally surprised that Karin of all the shinobi and kunoichi, couldn't sense them and their chakra signatures. Maybe Karin was just too naïve to accept the truth. Boar walked through the polished tiled halls and up the mahogany stairs; her feet slowly tapping against the surface, barely bringing an echo. Boar stopped at the head of the stairs, her eyes slowly trailing left and right, watching the shinobi walk past her.

She'd been gone on a 'mission' and wasn't expected for at least another week. But it never hurt to be a tad cautious with ones surroundings. Boar rested her arms at her sides and walked ahead with shinobi and samurai heading down the steps of the palace behind her. Her hot skin began to cool, as the worry faded away. Her right hand rose and fixed her ANBU mask, which by the way, was almost like being within an oven. Boar headed down the tiled hall at a brisk pace, nervous that a sensory shinobi would catch on to her. After revealing her identity to Sasuke, Boar felt that she had made a mistake, despite it being a small one.

_The smaller the problem, the larger the consequences._ Boar thought with a nervous glare. _This is the longest I've been out of the Mountain's Graveyard and now it's starting to mess with me. I haven't been active in almost a year. My skills are rusty. That's all it is…I'm just a bit rusty. No one knows who I am or where I've been. It would be better to keep to the royal family for now._

Boar walked towards the end of the hall to come across a massive glass wall that overlooked the entire city and the beach. She could easily see children and family playing in the sand and the sea water, completely unaware of the peril that was coming towards Edo in the near future. She ran a hand through the bangs covering the right side of her mask. She narrowed her eyes before walking off towards the Office where Naruto or Karin would most likely be.

She came upon the hall leading to the office, but just as she rounded the corner, she bumped into someone heavy, almost as if she bumped into a moving wall. Boar fell back with her mask untying itself from behind her head, and her crashing into the floor. A gasp was heard coming from above her. Her eyes trailed up to see the red face of none other than Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze, the Shuryō of the Alliance. Naruto pulled her to her feet and looked her up and down.

"I know you!" Naruto gasped. His body was shaking. He shivered slightly. The sapphire orbs he had for eyes suddenly looked glossy as tears formed in his eyes. His cheeks went up in heat as his heart began to race. His arms went cold and his legs began to lose feeling and balance. "I-Ino…?!"

"Excuse me, Naruto-sama?" Boar asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I am so sorry…" Naruto quickly replied, nearly seeming like a stuttering mess. "I didn't mean to…It's just…"

"I have to get going Naruto-sama." Boar bowed down and picked her mask from the floor below. "May I ask where Karin-sama and Shizuka-sama are?"

"O-Over there…down the hall…" Naruto whispered. He was visibly shaking, but beat a hasty retreat giving off an aura of awkwardness.

_That was too close…_

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**None of you saw that coming.**

**Ja ne!**

**gottahavekyuubi**


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